New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project.

Today’s content

ELECTION
Henry Cooke (Guardian): New Zealand’s Labour party is stumbling towards defeat – a scare campaign could save them
Richard Harman: He’s back (paywalled)
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Christopher Luxon really doesn’t want to talk about Winston Peters
Matthew Hooton (Herald): Will Christopher Luxon rule out dealing with Winston Peters? (paywalled)
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Pundit says it would be ‘madness’ for National to rule out New Zealand First, Winston Peters
Adam Pearse (Herald): Winston Peters claims Act’s attack ad proves David Seymour’s party is worried
Peter Williams: Winston’s back
Josie Pagani (Post): A bright future rests on big ideas, not whack-a-mole election promises (paywalled)
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB) Former National Party minister Alfred Ngaro set to launch new Christian party
Brent Edwards (NBR): Policy silly season, banning cell phones, teachers’ pay
Tim Watkin (RNZ): Caucus Campaigns rev into gear over climate, dentalcare and cellphones
Newsroom: Raw Politics: Politicians and things we’ll never see
Danyl McLauchlan (Listener): What you need to know in politics New policies announced; political gaffes (paywalled)

OPINION POLLS 
Taxpayers’ Union: Taxpayers’ Union – Curia Poll: August 2023
David Farrar: Labour’s vote is going everywhere
Claire Trevett (Herald): Latest poll – Labour now at risk of collapse, driving voters to the Greens (paywalled)
Derek Cheng (Herald): New poll shows Labour crashing, NZ First rising, and National-Act with enough support to govern
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): BOOM: Latest TU Curia Poll: Labour crash – Winston is back
RNZ: Taxpayers Union poll suggests seven seats for NZ First, in opposition
Tova O’Brien (Stuff): Labour’s new polling ‘shows rosier picture’ for party
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Labour does ‘absolutely not’ have plans to replace Chris Hipkins before voting day – Ginny Andersen
Sharon Brettkelly (RNZ): The Detail: Taking the public pulse with political polls

TAX
Amelia Wade (Newshub): Newshub-Reid Research poll results: Do Kiwis support Chris Hipkins’ decision to rule out wealth tax?
Glenn McConnell (Stuff): ‘Tax tape’ released, see Damien O’Connor’s response to wealth tax question
Adam Pearse (Herald): ‘Somewhat convoluted’: PM confronts minister’s claim there isn’t enough tax in New Zealand
John Weekes (Herald): ‘Tax the rich’ rally planned for Auckland as concerns over wealth tax, capital gains, National Party election win cited (paywalled)

CAMPAIGN TRAIL, PARLIAMENT
Deena Coster (Taranaki Daily News): ‘Special place’: The PM, his deputy, and their Waitara homecoming
Robin Martin (RNZ): Chris Hipkins and Carmel Sepuloni hit the campaign trail in Waitara
Glenn McLean (Taranaki Daily News): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins gets on the Port Taranaki bus
Felix Walton (RNZ): Crime a hot topic for Auckland Central’s political candidates
Melania Watson (Newshub): Labour MP Ingrid Leary apologises for queue-jumping traffic, allegedly speeding away
Louise Ternouth (RNZ): Checkpoint: National MP Sam Uffindell does the shopping once a month to ‘give my wife a break’

BANKS
Rob Stock (Post): What World Bank, Reserve Bank and Treasury data says about NZ banks’ high profits (paywalled)
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Banks cashing in? Commerce Commission highlights profit concerns
Rebecca Stevenson (Interest): Persistently high profits raises bank competition question for Commerce Commission
RNZ: Commerce Commission to focus on home loans, deposit accounts in banking probe
Rob Stock (Stuff): Commerce Commission asks for public feedback on banks’ high profits
Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): The banks have to answer some questions
Rob Stock (Stuff): National says Government has mucked up banking competition study
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Too little, too late: RBNZ tests banks against climate stress

ENERGY, CLIMATE CHANGE, BLACKROCK
Kevin Trenberth (The Conversation): Meeting the long-term climate threat takes more than private investment – 10 ways NZ can be smart and strategic
Dan Brunskill (Interest): Jacinda Ardern helped to bring BlackRock’s renewable electricity fund to New Zealand but the Crown’s investors haven’t signed up yet
Oliver Lewis (BusinessDesk): What the BlackRock fund isn’t (paywalled)
Herald: BlackRock retracts substantial shareholder notices posted to NZX showing stakes in listed companies
RNZ: BlackRock mistakenly publishes shareholder notices, quickly backtracks
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Power firms about to report their ‘largest ever increase’ in operating profits (paywalled)
Esther Taunton (Stuff): Will more renewable energy mean lower household power bills?
RNZ: Power supply tight after freezing night, Transpower says
Marc Daalder (Newsroom): Government to create offshore wind permits
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Concrete industry sets course to be ‘carbon neutral’ by 2050 (paywalled)

PAY GAPS
Felix Desmarais (1News): Govt could compel hundreds of companies to report on gender pay gap
RNZ: Gender pay gap: Government hints at reporting system for businesses
Anna Whyte (Post): Govt expected to announce next steps on gender pay gaps (paywalled)

CRIME, JUSTICE
Felix Desmarais (1News): Labour claims ACT’s plan will lead to ‘more criminals’
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Why cultural reports matter, why it’s so hard with charmers like this and our obligations as citizens
Emma Hatton (Newsroom): The dairy owner who built himself a cage to work in

HEALTH, DENTAL CARE
Boyd Swinburn and Caitlin Haliburton (Public Health Communication Centre):
Tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food – where the parties stand: Election 2023
RNZ: Shared approach to health projects will not mean public-private partnerships – Te Whatu Ora
RNZ: Te Whatu Ora looks at restructure of more than 400 jobs
Pokere Paewai (RNZ): District health boards were only paying lip service to Treaty of Waitangi, article says
Jamie Ensor (Newshub) Greens share heartbreaking stories of Kiwis not able to afford dental care

PUBLIC SERVICE
Lloyd Burr (Newshub): Inside the Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ $40k farewell party
Jamie Ensor (Newshub): Prime Minister Chris Hipkins slams Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ $40,000 farewell event
Derek Cheng (Herald) ‘Should not have happened’: Former Ministry for Pacific Peoples boss apologises for improper spending

HOUSING
Miriam Bell (Post): NZ renters are some of the unhappiest in the world (paywalled)
Miriam Bell (Post): Here’s why house prices going up is not such a good thing (paywalled)
Katie Townshend (Nelson Mail): Housing intensification plan for Nelson gets green flag from council
Matt Porter (ODT): ‘Sceptical’ about housing plan because it is propping up a failed government system
Hamish McNeilly and Joanne Naish (Post): Waka Kotahi – ‘sabotaging growth’ after it opposes massive housing development (paywalled)

INSURANCE
Jenée Tibshraeny (Herald): Home insurance premiums expected to rise by more than 20pc (paywalled)
Sue Teodoro (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘Perfect storm’ insurance warning to local authorities

PRIMARY INDUSTRIES
Guy Trafford (Interest): The future land use in Tairāwhiti/Gisborne and Wairoa is up for debate after a Ministerial Inquiry and the Government’s Response
Jamie Morton (Herald); Major milestone: EPA approves first methane inhibitor in NZ
Riley Kennedy (BusinessDesk): OIO asked questions about a milk business that turned sour (paywalled)

WATER REFORM
Tukoroirangi Morgan (Herald): 3 Waters, non-Māori have absolutely nothing to fear
Kate MacNamara (Herald): Water reforms: Alternative plan from Taxpayers’ Union ready by October elections (paywalled)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT,
Sue Freeman-Greene (Post): How the big parties are once again squashing localism (paywalled)
Ben Leahy (Herald): Auckland Council rates: Apartment owners facing huge bills accuse council of ‘money-making scheme’
RNZ: $11k facilitation process gets Gore mayor and council staff back on speaking terms
Peter de Graaf (RNZ): Ahipara occupation ends as council agrees to buy waterfront land
Toni McDonald (Southland Express): Voting system remains for local body elections

TRANSPORT
Peter Dunne (Newsroom): Politicians have let transport policy become merely a whipping boy
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): You need roads AND public transport you morons!
Herald: Interislander ferry that spent night in harbour could have sailed, Transport Minister says
Tom Hunt (Post): Cook Strait ferries ‘not fit for purpose (paywalled)c
Krystal Gibbens (RNZ): Interislander warned ferry issues could prove fatal if not fixed

EDUCATION
Peter O’Connor (Newsroom): National is going all ‘nanny state’ on us
Kathryn MacCallum & Cheryl Brown (Post): School cellphone ban won’t make the realities of life go away (paywalled)
Jemima Huston (RNZ): Parents weigh in on possible schools phone ban with concerns over enforcement
ODT Editorial: Banning mobile devices in schools (paywalled)
Herald: National Party MP Judith Collins apologises after Auckland’s Rosehill College corrects ‘misinformation’
Gianina Schwanecke (Post): What pay rise means for rest of education sector (paywalled)
RNZ: PPTA happy with latest pay offer but still wants more support for Māori teachers
Ripu Bhatia (Stuff): Sign language initiatives receive $175,000 funding boost

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Paul Buchanan: Benign Strategic Nostalgia
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Does NZ want to get sucked into another American war?
Thomas Manch (Post): Alleged China ‘spy’ Jason Zhao investigated by employer years ago (paywalled)
RNZ: New sanctions against those supporting Russia’s attacks on Ukraine

MEDIA
Duncan Greive (Spinoff): The making of the Media Insider
Shayne Currie (Herald): Media Insider: NZR/All Blacks’ massive media move; ASB ad account – then there were three; Stuff loses two executives, staff eye PGs (paywalled)
Daniel Dunkley (BusinessDesk): Independent media agencies form new association (paywalled)

OTHER
Brianna McIlraith (Post): Why food prices are dropping around the world – but not here (paywalled)
Ryan Anderson (Stuff): Mass deaths of fish and seabirds will be more common in Hauraki Gulf – report
Craig Ashworth (Local Democracy Reporting): Taranaki Cathedral to host ‘Super-Awesome Origin Story of Co-Governance’ talks
Stuff: Six-months after Cyclone Gabrielle Red Cross has spent more than $20 million of the NZ Disaster Fund
Craig Kapitan and Joseph Los’e (Herald): Posie Parker protest: Activist pleads guilty to punching elderly woman at heated Auckland trans rights protest
Karl du Fresne: An update on the Dutta file
Nicholas Pointon (NBR): Construction industry wants ongoing spending from next government (paywalled)